Name: Lori Yeager Davis
Role: President
Company: Martin Williams
Website (if applicable): martinwilliams.com
Instagram: @loriyeagerdavis
What’s on your desk? My technology, my to-do lists, a picture of my daughter, a plant I’ve managed to keep alive, and usually 4-5 different beverages.
What’s the most important piece? My power smoothie! Today’s variety includes pineapple, coconut milk, vanilla pea protein powder, bee pollen, collagen powder, and a mix of adaptogenic herbs including goji berry, reishi, ashwagandha and astragalus. It tastes better than it sounds (trust me!) and gives me the energy I need to take on whatever my day throws at me.
How did you get to this desk? (how did you get to this agency, how did you get to this role, etc.) My road traveled has been anything but a straight path. I started out in Account Management, and then moved my way into Account Planning. The second half of my career has been spent in integrated leadership roles starting with the Managing Director role for KidComm (the youth marketing division of McCann), joining the fast growing leadership team at Space150, taking a walk on the client side as VP of Licensed Properties for video game giant Activision Publishing, and most recently, as Executive Business Director at Publicis Seattle, managing the T-Mobile account. In hindsight, each of these destinations has perfectly prepared me to lead the transformation of an advertising agency into a modern creative company.
What’s your favorite part of your job? I love pushing people outside their comfort zones. I’ve always believed that my role as a leader is to help people get to better ideas, faster—which requires challenging industry conventions, pushing clients to dream bigger and inspiring our teams to change faster. The key is to create a culture where it’s okay to make mistakes and be vulnerable. Even in my role as President, I try to be very transparent about what’s working and what’s not.
We all know that every day looks different in this industry – so tell us, what did you do today? My day began with Monday KickStart—my weekly meeting with our Account and Creative leaders to make sure we all know our priorities for the week. Then I spent time with a client team, helping to shape the 2018 strategic planning process. I had a handful of one-on-one meetings with department leaders and planning sessions with our new business team. I also met with a small group of creative rebels about a content experiment they are planning and gave them my permission to go rogue (don’t tell our CFO). Throughout the day I consumed two cups of coffee, one vitamin water, one power smoothie, two cups of ice water, and one can of sparkling water. Which is why my desk is always littered with beverages! And then I raced home to watch the Vikings beat the Bears. It was a good day in advertising.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Everything is figureoutable! Advertising can be really fun, but it also can be really stressful. No matter what challenge or crisis you may be facing, it’s empowering to remember that there is always a way through.
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